[Public-List] Adding weight to the keel and other things CD25

[Jim Davis]

Dan

Back in '73 I bought a new CD25 and sailed her for almost two decades, Gulf of Mexico, Pamlico Sound, Chesapeake and Delaware Bays and off shore.  I originally powered her with a Merc 4HP and found she did not need any trim ballast.  Later when I put a much bigger Honda 4 stroke in (the Merc died and the Honda was cheap) I found she needed about 40 pounds of lead up by the water tank so she floated parallel to the design water line.  Of course this trim was only when she was in her slip, As soon as we started using the boat and loaded her up for cruises all claims to trim went out the window.  I hate to think of what a half ton of lead would do to the boat.  My guess is she is very bow heavy and probably lost a fair amount of her stability and would be harder to steer as her bow would tend to plough down into the waves.   My wife currently has a CD25 and even though her outboard is heavier than my old Merc, I'm not bothering to add any trim.

Some of us on this list remember putting enough people on the bow of an A30 to lift the prop to the surface so we could clean it without going swimming - The boat would always roll badly while the bow was depressed.

Note I'm not a naval architect, nor do I play one on TV, just a few experiences.


Jim Davis
S/V Isa Lei

"Coffee tastes better if the latrines are dug downstream from the encampment."
US Army Field Regulations - 1861